United States in World War II

US always had a good “reputation” of their power, and because of their economy, they started to involve in things of the other side of the world  (Europe, Asia and Africa). 

The US didn’t have too much participation as in phase 2, because Roosevelt didn’t have that much support to make people join to the cause against German Nazis, this since American people didn’t want to have another war.

Causes:

-Japan attack Pearl Harbor

-Nazi invasion to France

-Operation Sea Lion attack Pearl Harbor happened on December 7, 1941, and USA was the principal country affected by this event, which also marked the beginning of the involvement of United States into World War II. This event happened because of many different things… - On July of 1941, USA stopped the commercial trade with Japan, including oil trade, because Japan had still presence on China. England did the same thing - Japan started a discussion with Washington on November of 1941, Japan demanded the following: USA must abandon China, continue the commercial trade, help Japan to get supplies from the Dutch East Indies, and to stop the USA expansion in the western Pacific. Americans proposed the following too: respect territory and sovereignty, no interference on the other nations’ internal problems, equal opportunity. Secretary Hull promised to free Japanese assets and resume normal trade with Japan if these conditions were met. Japan agreed to think about the proposal in 2 weeks, and operation Pearl Harbor was in process, but Americans thought they were going to be attacked in Phillipines, so they were not prepared in Pearl Harbor 68 civilians died and 1178 were wounded, and 120 USA planes were destroyed. At the next day on December 8, America declared war to Japan, and on December 11 Germany and Italy declared war on America in support for their partner Japan, also an axis power.

The end of the World War 2 caused many positive things to the country as negatives, for example, the inventions and discoveries: the United States organized its scientific resources in the office of Scientific Research and Development, also the area of the medicine improve because many diseases were developed during the war. Many problems were solved in this country but also new problems were created, a good example: The Cold War.

The United States and USSR were the important to the cold war, they have political tension and wanted the hegemony of the world. United states were capitalist and USSR was communism. U.S.A wanted to spread Capitalist, but the communist didn’t allow this so they were competing because they wanted their ideas all over the world. U.S.A propose the Marshall plan to provide money to European countries, also they have the NATO (Intergovernmental military alliance) and the CIA (was to collect intelligence, advise the president and inform him about events around the world moreover they made doctrines, the Truman doctrine and the Eisenhower doctrine this was to supported other countries.      Bibliography

History, United States. United States History. 2010. 14 04 2011 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1661.html>. Essortment. 14 April 2011 <http://www.essortment.com/world-war-ii---american-involvement-pacific-far-east-21925.html>.

USA Participation in Great Depression, Totalitarian Regimes and World War 2

USA participated in the Great Depression and in WWII, but they didn’t participate in totalitarian regimes because during that time the country was recovering from the Great Depression. But the Great Depression indirectly was a cause for the totalitarian regimes because that combined with the World War I, provoked economic hard times and people needed a governor to control all chaos and crisis.

 Since the economy crashed in the country’s government, they were trying to reactivate it. Later on in 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor because the president Roosevelt decided to shut off the American trade with Japan. Only a day after that event United States declared war on Japan and a few days later Germany and Italy declared war on United States. Factories in USA converted from civilian to war production really fast, men went to armed forces, and women took their places in war plants. In 1942 government also set up a civil-defense system to protect the country from attack.

The main causes are: The World War I, which provoked that many European countries had a bad economy. Also the Treaty of Versailles, stated by the Big 4, which states that Germany had to pay all the reparations of France and Great Britain, U.S.A view this as an opportunity of investment and make more money. U.S.A lends money to European countries especially to Germany, France, and Great Britain for them to reconstruct their nations; they will pay back with some interests. Then U.S.A asks that money because they didn’t have and they need it, but Germany didn’t have money, they spend it on reparations and debts, so the Great Depression begins with the Stock Market crash in 1929 .No one had money, many banks and factories collapsed, there was unemployment, suicides, overproduction, investors withdrew money from European countries, and the foreign trade was slow.

All the events had a relation, the WWI caused the Great Depression, and USA didn’t participated in Totalitarian regimes that were caused by the Great Depression because they were still recovering, but the Totalitarian Regimes caused the World War 2. USA played an important role in the events that participated.

Bibliography

United States History. 15 March 2011 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1661.html>.

World War II History Info. 15 March 2011 <http://www.worldwariihistory.info/WWII/United-States.html>.

Timeline

1929

• The stock market chrashed
• March 4th, Herbert Hoover is inaugurated as President June 15th, Agricultural Marketing Act passed

1930

• USA bank goes bankrupt
•  Banks have suspended operations

1931
• January 7th, the Committee for Unemployment Relief releases a report on unemployment showing that 4 to 5 million Americans were out of work.

• June 5th, Chancellor Bruning announces that Germany was no longer going to pay reparations under the Young Plan

• October 16th, New York Federal Reserve Bank's discount rate raised from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent.


1932
• 1,493 banks have suspended operatins during 1932


1933
• Franklin Roosevelt becomes president of the USA

• New Deal- Roosevelt made these plan to reactivate economy
• March 9th, Emergency Banking Relief Act passed, providing for federal bank inspections


1939
• The Great deprssion is over


1940
• September 16th, Selective Training and Service Act passed, requiring men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register for military training


1941
• December 7, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor-361 Japanese warplanes attack American airfields and shipyards, disabling 19 ships, destroying 200 planes, and killing over 2300 men. Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Malaya, Philippines soon fall to Japan.

Bibliography
America's Great Depression. 14 March 2011 .

USA Participation

Of the periods we are going to talk about: Imperialism, World War I, Russian Revolution, USA was a nation with a stable economy and politically organized. That’s why Europe always tried to involve USA in their problems; also they were looking for help. USA helped in diplomacy relations and economy in some countries like France, Germany and Great Britain

United States had a good economic position in the world, so both, allies and central powers tried to involve USA, and in an attempt to do that they hit USA with offensive propaganda...But the interest of Germany for Latin American has always been motive of preoccupations in the USA, so USA couldn’t contemplate the possibility of Germany’s Victory. Germany sank 7 ships and the Zimmerman telegram provoked the involvement of USA into the war. Officially the USA was involved in April 1917, but then many important events occurred: first, in January 1918, the 14 Points were declared: Wilson listed his goals for a war-free world, including a League of Nations, and then; in May, American troops won their first victory; American forces suffer heavy losses but defeat Germans. In 1919, the Big Four (United Kingdom, France, Italy and USA) meet the Paris Peace Conference, and many Treaties were signed like the one of Versailles.

Although the Russian revolution happened in Russia, USA was also involved…American North Russian Expeditionary force was contingent about 5,000 U.S. troops that landed in Arkhangelsk, Russia. They fought against the red army, supporting the Mensheviks during the period of September 1918 through July 1919; this was sent by Woodrow Wilson in response to request from U.K. and France (they wanted to cause revolts in Russia). After the end of the World War, USA continued to support Russia for 16 months because of indecision and confusion. At first, the Americans’ response was non-recognition to the new government because of the Wilson’s policy of non-recognition.

In new imperialisms, it was an opportunity for USA to grow territorial, economical and politically. USA wasn’t an imperial country, it was a democratic one, so this gaining of territories was only for them to expand and gain power worldly. Some of the territories they gained were Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and other islands in America and Australian ocean.

In conclusion, we think that United States shouldn’t have participated in World War I because they were totally distant continents; Europe’s problems had nothing to do with USA. In the times of Russian revolution most of us think that USA had no involvement, but they did, they sent troops in support to France and Britain because they wanted to cause revolts in Russia. In The times of new imperialisms USA grew in economic, diplomatic, political, and in territorial aspects. So we can say USA is a country that have always been present in the world history.

Bibliography

Feldmeth, Greg D. U.S. History Resources. 1998. 10 02 2011 <http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/chart.ww1.html>.

Spykman, Nicholas John. Estados Unidos Frente Al Mundo. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1944.

Corvallis Community Pages. 10 February 2011 <http://www.corvalliscommunitypages.com/Europe/Russia_slavs/intervention_and_civil_war.htm>.

D., Feldmeth Greg. U.S. History resources. 31 March 1998. 10 February 2011. http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/chart.ww1.html

Map

*USA in orange